"It's kind of what I want," Cyrus, 20, told Matt Lauer on the Todayshow Monday. "I'm an artist, so I'm hoping that I get a little attention, otherwise my record sales might be a little sketch. ... I don't ever really plan to offend people, but sometimes that just happens, because I think people aren't open to what they don't understand."

Of her VMA performance with Robin Thicke, Cyrus said: "It went exactly as planned. I mean, it's a month later and we're still talking about it."

Lauer, noting that he'd never look at a foam finger the same way again, asked the former Hannah Montana star if her hypersexualized persona was a phase. "I heard when you turn 40, things start to go a little less sexual," Cyrus said coyly to Lauer, 55.

"I'm a big fan of hers, so it doesn't really matter," Cyrus said of their war of words. "I think she's an incredible artist, I think she's an awesome songwriter, and I was really inspired by her for my 'Wrecking Ball' video, which was what started the whole thing."